The former Overwatch pro Félix “xQc” Lengyel is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. In a stream, he reacts to the switch of some of his colleagues to the competition of YouTube Gaming and says: They made a huge mistake.
These switches are about: YouTube has been actively recruiting streamers from Twitch for some time, offering them lucrative exclusive contracts. One of the first to make the switch was the popular streamer Valkyrae in 2020.
Since then, more and more content creators, including those from Valkyrae’s circle, have gradually decided to move to the red platform. Most recently, YouTube snatched up “100 Thieves” streamer Leslie “Fuslie” Fu, about whose switch there was quite some confusion.
Now, xQc has weighed in, boasting over 11 million followers, making him one of the giants on Twitch. He says: There was so much more to it.
xQc judges: “They really messed it up.”
Is there a strategy behind the switches? In a stream from September 7, xQc reacted to the video where Fuslie officially announced her move. In the video, YouTube streamers Valkyrae, LilyPichu, and Sykkuno appeared – all of whom have left Twitch in the last 2 years.
These names are often associated with the content group OfflineTV (OTV), which also includes streamers like Pokimane and Disguised Toast. It seems that YouTube is specifically targeting entire groups from Twitch instead of just successful individuals.
For this very reason, the streamers could have approached their switch in a completely different way.
This is what xQc had to say: xQc believes that OTV messed up the switch quite a bit: “Let’s assume everyone is getting 1 to 2 million a year, okay. Let’s do some quick math,” the streamer announced, illustrating his calculation.
You can admire xQc’s math skills in this clip in English.
xQc assumes that the streamers would have received about 7 million dollars from YouTube in total. However, as a group, they could have demanded significantly more from the platform:
What if OTV had united and said, “You’re not getting any of us to YouTube unless you make us an offer as a group – You buy OTV as a whole for 200 million $.” I mean it seriously.
xQc via Twitch
xQc finds such an offer realistic. After all, you’re buying a cohesive unit, which is worth a lot of money. This method of acquiring entire communities is the future of the industry, according to the streamer.
For this reason, xQc himself would only consider switching for a massive sum.
xQc would only switch with his friends – and that would be really expensive
This is how expensive a switch for xQc would be: For xQc to switch to the red platform with his streaming friends Poke, Jesse, Adin, and Kai Cenat, YouTube would have to be willing to shell out 1 billion $ – as a one-time payment. They wouldn’t accept to receive the money gradually over the years.
A switch by xQc is, however, unlikely, as he could not continue his notorious casino streams on YouTube in this format.
Even though Twitch has lost some important names to the competition of YouTube Gaming, the platform still enjoys quite a monopoly in the streaming space. But what is actually behind their success?
There is a catch in xQc’s calculation
This error xQc made in his calculation: xQc claimed that OTV should have switched as a group. However, of the mentioned streamers, LilyPichu is the only official member of OfflineTV.
The other streamers often collaborate with the group and are frequently mentioned in the same breath, but they do not have the full weight of the OfflineTV brand behind them.
What do you think? Will YouTube become a serious competitor for Twitch or is the streaming giant out of reach? Is 1 billion $ too much for xQc and his friends, or should YouTube not miss out on this bargain? Please leave us a comment with your opinion.
In 2020, Microsoft pursued a similar plan to YouTube and tried to build competition against Twitch. However, the Mixer project failed miserably. Can YouTube do it better?
